---
title: "靈峰蕅益大師宗論 · 法語四"
description: "靈峰蕅益大師宗論是明末高僧智旭的著作。明末佛教面臨內部僵化與外部挑戰，智旭大師立足天台宗，主張禪教律淨融合，回應時代弊病。該書匯集其書信、註疏與開示，系統闡述性相融通、淨土為歸的佛學思想，強調解行並進與實踐修行。作為中國佛教史上承先啟後的巨著，它深刻影響了後世漢傳佛教的發展，尤其對淨土宗的推廣貢獻卓著，被尊為淨土宗第九祖的智旭，其思想透過此論成為明清佛教的重要指南。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmgn46ayh0muck104xd1ul7n7"
---
### 法語四
> Four Dharma Talks
示曇生方丈境緣無好醜，好醜起於心。愚人除境不除心，至人除心不除境。心既除矣，境豈實有？達境本空，便能素位而行，不願乎外。以所歷位，無非無外之法界也。知皆即法界，自無入而不自得。稍或未然，則富貴能淫之，貧賤能移，夷狄患難能屈之矣。孟子論素位而行，則曰：「居天下之廣居，立天下之正位，行天下之大道。」其在吾門，則曰：「入如來室，坐如來座，著如來衣。」要之，皆不為物轉，方能轉物也。
> Instructions for Abbot Dan ShengCircumstances and encounters are neither good nor bad in themselves. Good and bad arise from the mind. The ignorant person tries to remove external circumstances without removing the mind; the accomplished person removes the mind without trying to remove external circumstances. When the mind is removed, how can circumstances be considered real? Once you realize that circumstances are fundamentally empty, you can fulfill your role in any situation without desiring what lies outside your present position. Because every position you inhabit is none other than the boundless realm of reality itself. Knowing that all experiences are manifestations of this realm, you will naturally feel at ease in any environment. If you fall short of this realization, then wealth and status can corrupt you, poverty and lowliness can sway you, and hardship among foreign peoples can bend you. When Mencius discussed fulfilling one's role in accordance with circumstance, he said: "Dwell in the vast mansion of the world, stand in the correct position of the world, walk the great path of the world." In our tradition, this is expressed as: "Enter the Tathagata's chamber, sit upon the Tathagata's seat, wear the Tathagata's robes." Ultimately, the point is that only by not being turned by things can you turn things.
示智林《大般若》云：「三十二相無別因，皆由持戒所得。」若不持戒，尚不能得野干之身，況復佛身。《大佛頂》云：「因戒生定，因定發慧，則名三無漏學。」縱有多智禪定現前，若不斷婬，必落魔道。若不斷殺，必落神道。若不斷偷，必落邪道。若不斷大妄語，如刻糞為栴檀，欲求香氣，無有是處。戒之關係大矣。
> \*\*To the Wisdom Grove\*\* The \*Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra\* says: "The thirty-two marks of a Buddha have no other cause; they are all gained by upholding the precepts." If you do not uphold the precepts, you cannot even attain the body of a wild fox, let alone the body of a Buddha. The \*Śūraṅgama Sūtra\* says: "Precepts give rise to concentration; concentration gives rise to wisdom. These are called the three non-outflowing studies." Even if you have much wisdom and can enter deep meditative states, if you do not cut off lust, you will inevitably fall into the demonic path. If you do not cut off killing, you will inevitably fall into the spirit path. If you do not cut off stealing, you will inevitably fall into the deviant path. If you do not cut off major false speech, it is like carving excrement into sandalwood and expecting it to give off a fragrant scent—it is utterly impossible. The importance of the precepts cannot be overstated.
示旭生一切罪中，疑罪為最。一切功德，信為其首。信則不疑，不疑則直下承當；直下承當，則不自暴棄；不自暴棄，則不敢暴棄人。此常不輕所以通禮四眾，速淨六根者也。便恁麼信去，譬如日出先照高山，何俟四十年淘汰方入佛慧哉。
> To XushengAmong all faults, doubt is the greatest fault. Among all virtues, faith is the foremost virtue. Where there is faith, there is no doubt. Without doubt, one takes it up directly and wholeheartedly. Taking it up directly and wholeheartedly, one neither abandons nor degrades oneself. Not abandoning or degrading oneself, one dares not abandon or degrade others. This is why the Ever-Not-Slighting One bowed in reverence to all four assemblies, swiftly purifying his six senses. If you can have such faith, it is like the sun rising and first shining upon the high mountains—why wait forty years of refinement before entering the Buddha's wisdom?
示明一達得一，萬事畢。一果何物哉？設以事物為一，事物且紛然不齊矣。設離事物而別談一理，理復安在？若謂如空，亦是物也，非理也。若謂非事非物，亦非虛空，不幾龜毛兔角乎？故知真明一者，事事物物，何莫非一。苟迷事物之源，妄計別有一理，此理亦事物影像而已。計事物者，一重虛妄，別計事物影像為一理者，乃妄重加妄，謬之謬矣。諸佛哀之，特與道破曰：「妄想無性。」祖師悟之，特與發明曰：「覓心了不可得。」此明一者之晨鐘也。
> Clearly Understanding "One" Understand the One, and all things are complete. But what exactly is this One? If we take concrete things as the One, these things are chaotic and unequal. If we separate from things and speak of a separate principle of "One," where does this principle reside? If we say it is like empty space, that too is a thing, not a principle. If we say it is neither things nor objects, nor empty space, would that not become something like a rabbit’s horn or a turtle’s hair (utterly nonexistent)? Therefore, know that one who truly understands the One sees that every thing and every object is none other than the One. But if one is confused about the source of things and falsely imagines a separate principle of One, this principle itself is merely the shadow of things. To grasp at things is one layer of delusion; to then grasp at the image of things as a separate principle of One is to add delusion upon delusion—the height of error. Compassionate toward this, the Buddhas pointed out: "Deluded thoughts have no true nature." And the patriarchs, awakening to this, revealed: "The mind is nowhere to be found." This is the morning bell for those who seek to clearly understand the One.
示屆遠一心三觀，必以空為初門。以無始妄認六塵緣影為自心相，未有真知妄想無性者。尤以戒為基，人無遠慮，必有近憂。勿如火燒眉毛，只圖眼下也。
> One Mind, Three Insights must begin with Emptiness as the starting gate. Since beginningless time, we have mistakenly identified the reflections of the six sense objects as our own mind, without truly knowing that these illusions have no fixed nature. The Vinaya (moral precepts) serves as the foundation—just as a person who lacks long-term vision is bound to face immediate troubles. Do not be like someone whose eyebrows catch fire, caring only about the present moment.
示大觀登泰山而小天下，觀海難為水，此世閒大觀也。反觀父母生身，如海一漚，起滅無從，十方虛空生心內，猶如片雲點太清裏，此出世大觀也。善財入普賢毛孔，一念舉不可說步，一步過不可說剎，經剎塵劫，不得毛孔中世界邊際。一毛孔，一切毛孔亦如是。且道世閒邪，出世閒邪？大觀邪，小觀邪？咄！逢人切忌錯舉。偈曰：
> Showing the Great Vision When you climb Mount Tai, the whole world seems small beneath you. When you have seen the vast ocean, no other water can compare. This is the great vision of the worldly realm. But look inward—this body born of your parents is like a single bubble on the ocean, appearing and disappearing without a trace. The entire universe in all directions arises within your own mind. Even the boundless void is like a tiny cloud dotting the infinite sky. This is the great vision of the transcendent realm. Sudhana entered the pores of Samantabhadra's skin. In a single thought-moment, he took an indescribable number of steps. Each step passed through an indescribable number of worlds. Even after passing through eons as countless as dust motes, he could not reach the end of the worlds within just one pore. And what is true of one pore is true of all pores. Now tell me: is this the worldly realm, or the transcendent realm? Is this the great vision, or the small vision? Bah! When you meet someone, do not casually speak of this! Verse: Mountains high, oceans wide—mere worldly sights. One bubble on the sea—where is the self's confines? Mind holds ten directions, all space a cloud so light. That's the great vision, beyond both small and large. But tell this to no one, lest they misunderstand the charge.
大觀小觀，剎海毛端。兩箇五百，元來一千。恁麼會去，畢竟可憐。
> Looking at the vast and the small, The ocean of worlds rests on a hair's tip. Two times five hundred—where does it end? When counted thus, it always was one thousand. If you grasp it this way, in the end, it's pitiable.
參！
> Look!
示幽若十界差別，無多差別也。正因理體同，了因解性同，緣因業用同。不同者，幾希之一念耳。一念背覺合塵，法身般若解脫，即苦惑業。如暗觸寶，傷皮破骨，豈寶之罪哉？但庶民去之耳。一念背塵合覺，苦惑業，即法身般若解脫。如善用寶，四事豪適，乃顯妙寶之功。故曰：君子存之。顧念惟緣生，豈有實法？達緣生一念，性空無體，是謂真存，總不離乎幾希者，近是。
> The ten realms appear different, yet ultimately there is no real difference. The principle of the true cause is identical; the understanding nature of the intellectual cause is identical; the functioning and activity of the circumstantial cause are identical. What differs is but a tiny flicker of a single thought. When that one thought turns away from awakening and harmonizes with defilement, the Dharmakaya, Prajna, and Liberation become suffering, confusion, and karma. It is like touching a precious gem in the dark—hurting your skin and breaking your bones. How could the gem itself be at fault? It is merely that ordinary people abandon it. When that one thought turns away from defilement and harmonizes with awakening, suffering, confusion, and karma become the Dharmakaya, Prajna, and Liberation. It is like skillfully using a precious gem so that all four basic necessities become splendid and comfortable—this reveals the wondrous function of the jewel. Thus it is said: “The noble person preserves it.” But consider: thoughts are only conditionally arisen—where is there any real entity? To realize that a single thought of conditional origination is empty in nature and without substance—this is called true preservation. And this always remains within what differs by just a little—how close it is!
示石友念佛求生淨土，乃一門圓攝百千法門，非舉一廢百也。但必一門深入，念佛為正行，餘一切戒定慧等為助。正助合行，如順風之舟，更加板索，疾到岸矣。念佛之法雖多，持名最為簡便。持名之法亦多，記數尤為穩當。真操實履之士，豈求異愚夫愚婦哉。
> Instructions for Stone FriendReciting the Buddha's name and seeking rebirth in the Pure Land is a single practice that perfectly encompasses hundreds and thousands of Dharma methods—it is not about picking one and discarding the rest. However, one must practice with single-minded depth, making buddha-recitation the primary practice, while all other practices like precepts, meditation, and wisdom serve as supports. When the primary and supporting practices work together, it's like a boat sailing with the wind, adding oars and ropes to reach the shore quickly. Although there are many methods of buddha-recitation, reciting the name is the simplest and most convenient. Even within name-recitation, there are various approaches, and counting recitations is especially reliable and steady. Truly earnest practitioners—why would they seek to be different from ordinary people?
示無己無始來妄認有己，何嘗有實己哉？識得妄己本無，則淨土不期生而自生，淨戒不期持而自持，此先悟後修之旨也。或未頓悟，亦不必作意求悟，但專持淨戒，求生淨土，功深力到，現前當來，必悟無己之體。悟無己，即見佛，即成佛矣。
> Demonstrating the Absence of SelfSince beginningless time, we have mistakenly believed in the existence of a "self." But has there ever truly been a real self? Once you recognize that this mistaken self is fundamentally nonexistent, then the Pure Land naturally manifests without needing to seek it, and pure precepts are naturally upheld without needing to force them. This is the principle of understanding first, then cultivation. If sudden enlightenment hasn't occurred, there's no need to deliberately strain for it. Simply focus on upholding the pure precepts and aspiring to be reborn in the Pure Land. With consistent effort and deep practice, whether in the present or the future, you will surely awaken to the nature of the selfless being. Awakening to the absence of self is seeing the Buddha, and it is attaining Buddhahood.
示卓飛聿彼飛隼，先卓然自立，後奮然高鶱。卓者，可與立之謂。飛者，可與權之謂也。吾門則先自利，而後利他，戒定慧三學是已。三學具足，不期喻人，人已孚化，動之以禮，其身正，不令而行也。然尤以戒為初基。持戒者，非三衣一缽之標榜，錫杖皂襪之混淆也。貴精明開遮持犯，使性遮二業悉如冰霜，然後六情不馳騁於六塵，而念處可思修耳。身、受、心、法名處，不淨、苦、無常、無我等觀名念。以念緣處，即定之慧；以處繫心，即慧之定。定慧具足，方稱妙戒。由此言之，戒不惟初基，復該究竟三乘。七眾律儀，隨一真修，皆二利之具。不必高掛菩薩比丘之名，而後為尊勝也。
> LUMINARY ZHUO-FEI That swift-flying falcon first stands firmly on its own, then soars high with vigor. "Zhuo" (standing firm) means being able to establish oneself; "Fei" (flying) means being able to adapt with wisdom. Our path prioritizes self-benefit first, and then benefiting others—this is the threefold training of ethics (śīla), meditation (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). When these three trainings are complete, even without deliberately teaching others, they will naturally be transformed. Move them with propriety; when one's own conduct is upright, no orders need be given for things to get done. However, ethics are the foundation. Upholding precepts is not about flaunting the three robes and one bowl, nor about indiscriminately mixing the monastic staff and black socks. What matters is clearly understanding when to permit and when to prohibit, what to uphold and what to break, so that both innate and conventional karmic actions become pure as ice and frost. Only then will the six senses not gallop wildly after the six sense objects, allowing one to cultivate mindfulness through the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Body, feelings, mind, and phenomena are called the "foundations"; the contemplations of impurity, suffering, impermanence, and no-self are called "mindfulness." Using mindfulness to focus on the foundations is the wisdom within meditation; using the foundations to anchor the mind is the meditation within wisdom. When meditation and wisdom are complete, this is truly called sublime ethics. From this perspective, ethics are not only the foundation but also encompass the ultimate goals of all three vehicles. Among the seven types of monastic precepts, any single one earnestly cultivated becomes a means of both self-benefit and benefiting others. There's no need to hang high the labels of bodhisattva or monk to be considered noble and supreme.
示止生心性照而常寂名止，寂而常照名觀。故稱性而修止觀，全修在性，非造作也。末世不能通達文字，被文字縛，如癡狗吠聲，才聞止觀二字，便謂是工夫，不是本體。詎思離本體外，那有工夫？離工夫外，那顯本體？本體工夫，不一不異。寂照定慧，何性何修？況諦觀一念昏散之性，畢竟是誰昏散，則終日昏散而未嘗昏散者，即終日圓覺而未嘗圓覺者也；未嘗昏散而終日昏散者，即未嘗圓覺而終日圓覺者也。夫昏擾擾相，與寂照違，猶不離本體，止觀可云非本體乎？
> Showing the nature of calm and insight The mind’s fundamental nature, when illuminated, is ever still – this is called calm (止, shamatha). When still, it is ever illuminating – this is called insight (觀, vipashyana). Therefore, to practice calm and insight in accord with this fundamental nature is to let all practice be rooted in that nature; it is not an artificial construction. In the final age of the Dharma, people cannot penetrate the written words and are bound by them, like a foolish dog barking at sounds. As soon as they hear the terms “calm and insight,” they conclude these are merely techniques, not the fundamental essence. But how could technique exist apart from essence? How could essence be revealed apart from technique? Essence and technique are neither one nor different. Stillness and illumination, concentration and wisdom – what belongs to essence and what to practice? Moreover, examine the very nature of a single thought’s confusion or clarity: who is it that is confused or clear? Then, the one who is confused or clear all day long is the one who has never actually been confused or clear – just as the one who is perfectly awakened all day long has never actually been awakened. And the one who is never confused or clear yet is confused or clear all day long is the one who is never awakened yet is perfectly awakened all day long. Now, the state of confusion and disturbance contradicts stillness and illumination, yet it still cannot depart from fundamental nature. How, then, could calm and insight be regarded as separate from that nature?
示恒素時人有二患，一作輟，有始無終；二矯飾，外美內弊。然外美者誣世，是尤足患也。夫二既是患，則恒與素，真良藥矣。亙古今而一如曰恒，統十界惟實相曰素。由素而恒，此又入手最要之門。一洗假宗假教假律之弊，千古有一人知其解者，旦暮遇之矣。
> To Hengsu People commonly suffer from two faults. The first is inconsistency — starting but never finishing. The second is artifice — beautiful on the outside but flawed within. Outward beauty deceives the world, making this second fault especially dangerous. Since both are harmful, constancy and simplicity are the true remedies. That which remains the same throughout all ages and across time is called constancy. That which reveals true reality across all realms is called simplicity. Starting from simplicity and moving toward constancy — this is the most essential gateway for practice. Once we wash away the impurities of false teachings, false practices, and false precepts, if even one person across the ages understands this truth, it is as if we meet them face to face at dawn.
示見徹法法頭頭，無非至道，人見不徹耳。今受根本五戒，秖須住於戒中，明見佛性。五戒之體，固是無作法身。五戒之相，一一無非法界。慈良清直，正見昭明，念念圓滿，無上功德。奚必吹毛拈拂，方稱向上哉？
> All phenomena, one and all, are nothing other than the ultimate truth; it's just that people fail to see through to this. Now, in receiving the five fundamental precepts, you need only dwell within them and clearly perceive your Buddha-nature. The essence of the five precepts is already the unconditioned Dharmakaya. The forms of the five precepts—each and every one of them—are none other than the Dharma-realm itself. With compassion, integrity, purity, and right-mindedness, and with correct views shining clearly, every single thought is complete and perfect, possessing unsurpassed merit and virtue. Why must one pluck a hair or brandish a whisk to be considered a person of enlightenment?
示淨鄉四不壞信，尤從戒始。蓋昏塗寶炬，示人以何路可行，何路不可行，何路超生脫死，何路墮坑落塹。凡發心起行，親師取友，擇法眼目，看教指歸，工夫要訣，巨細精麤，無不從學戒而辨。故從上佛祖，雖教觀有偏圓權實種種不同，未有不以戒為初基。以戒辨邪正者，清淨明誨，的是樂邦左券，此信不可壞也。
> The Four Unshakable Confidences begin with the precepts. For the precepts are like a precious torch in the darkness, showing people which path is passable and which is not, which path leads to liberation from birth and death, and which path leads to falling into pits and traps. All endeavors—whether it is arousing resolve and beginning practice, seeking guidance from teachers and friends, discerning the Dharma with clear eyes, studying the scriptures for direction, or understanding the essential techniques of cultivation—every detail, great or small, refined or coarse, is clarified through learning the precepts. Thus, from the beginning, all Buddhas and Patriarchs—though their teachings and contemplations differ in being partial or complete, expedient or ultimate—have never failed to take the precepts as their foundation. By distinguishing right from wrong through the precepts, their pure and clear instructions indeed serve as a certificate for the Pure Land. This confidence must remain unshakable.
示劉詣昭學道不難伶俐，難於慎重。發心不難勇銳，難於堅久。涉世不難矯俗，難於自持。作事不難敏達，難於深忍。研義不難領解，難於精確。夫豪傑者，聖賢之基址也。聖賢者，佛祖之階梯也。不能為豪傑，而能為聖賢，吾所不信。不能為聖賢，而能為佛祖，吾尤不信。然真豪傑，決不以豪傑自局。真聖賢，決不以聖賢自滿。真佛祖，豈復以佛祖自命哉？
> \`\`\`note place="inline" Showing Liu Yizhao \`\`\` Learning the Way is not difficult in intelligence, but rather in caution. Inspiration is not difficult in boldness, but rather in endurance. Engaging with the world is not difficult in correcting customs, but rather in self-restraint. Accomplishing tasks is not difficult in quick competence, but rather in deep patience. Studying principles is not difficult in comprehension, but rather in precision. Heroic figures are the foundation of sages. Sages are the stepping stones to Buddhas. If someone cannot be a heroic figure yet claims to be a sage, I do not believe it. If someone cannot be a sage yet claims to be a Buddha, I especially do not believe it. Yet a true heroic figure never confines themselves to being merely heroic. A true sage never rests content with being merely a sage. How then could a true Buddha ever regard themselves merely as a Buddha?
示朗然世情淡一分，佛法自有一分得力。娑婆活計輕一分，生西方便有一分穩當。此事秪問心，不必問知識也。知識亦勸淡世情、輕活計，專修出要耳。天平一頭低，一頭必昂，雖巧識強捻，不得。腰纏十萬貫，騎鶴上揚州，漢武秦皇，不能扭作一句，況下者乎。
> Demonstrating ClarityBy letting go of worldly attachments by one degree, your practice of the Dharma will naturally gain a corresponding amount of strength. By reducing your clinging to worldly affairs by one degree, your path to rebirth in the Pure Land becomes a step more stable. This matter depends solely on your own mind, not on seeking guidance from others. Teachers also advise only: "Lessen worldly attachments, reduce worldly preoccupations, and focus solely on the essential practice of liberation." When one side of a scale goes down, the other side must go up. Even with clever calculation or forceful manipulation, you cannot change this. "With a hundred thousand coins in the belt, riding a crane to Yangzhou," even Emperor Han Wu and Qin Shi Huang could not combine these two things into one, let alone those of lesser ability.
示如白學道莫若專精，有分嗜利智，亦罕能詣法源底，況中人哉。吾人無始來，於三界六道中，何事不歷，何藝不習？獨不曾修四念處，明四諦理，證四果，及四智耳。已歷已習者，無救生死，奚勞更歷更習。而脫苦法要，茫未有得。三年艾，安得不從今日畜邪？念處慧熟，聖諦理明，然後出真照俗，游戲百千技藝，非為分外。若不向根本討線索，饒法法專精力學，學到百千萬劫，術術巧妙，仍是生死岸邊事。一隨業轉，旋歸廢忘，豈非枉用心機。思之擇之，無俟朽人之苦誡矣。
> Those who study the Way must commit to single-minded focus. Even those with sharp intelligence and a partial inclination for wisdom rarely reach the source and depths of the Dharma, let alone people of middling ability. From beginningless time, in the three realms and six paths, what experiences have we not undergone? What skills have we not practiced? But we have never cultivated the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, understood the Four Noble Truths, realized the Four Fruits, or attained the Four Wisdoms. What we have already experienced and practiced cannot save us from birth and death—why weary ourselves further with more of the same? Yet we remain lost and without attainment in the essential methods for escaping suffering. If we need mugwort aged three years, shouldn't we start collecting it today? Once the wisdom of mindfulness is mature and the truth of the noble paths is clear, then we can emerge from truth to illuminate the conventional world and engage in the hundred thousand arts and skills without this being outside our sphere. But if we do not seek the essential thread from the root, even if we exhaust ourselves by specializing in every single dharma, learning for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, every technique we master will still be nothing but affairs on the shore of birth and death. Once we are carried away by karma, we will return to being lost and forgetful. Is this not a waste of mental effort? Reflect on this and choose wisely. Wait not for this withered man's bitter admonition.
示莫允臣世出世事，莫不成於慈忍，敗於忿躁。故君子以慈育德，以忍養情。德育，天地萬物皆歸我春風和氣之中。情養，乖戾妖孽皆消於光天化日之下。然後以之自成，則為淨滿自尊；以之成物，則為慈力悲仰。儻一念瞋起，百萬障生，小不能忍，大謀斯亂。況今刀兵劫濁，不過積恚所招，世局土崩，皆無遠慮所致。士生斯世，宜何如努力，以障狂瀾也。
> All matters, both worldly and beyond, are accomplished through compassion and patience, and ruined by anger and impatience. Therefore, the noble person nurtures virtue with compassion and cultivates their spirit with patience. When virtue is nurtured, all things in heaven and earth are embraced within our gentle spring breeze and harmonious atmosphere. When the spirit is cultivated, resentment and evil dissolve under the bright sun and open sky. Then, using this to perfect oneself, one attains pure and complete self-respect; using this to benefit others, one embodies compassionate power and reverent sympathy. Should even a single thought of anger arise, a million obstacles are born; if one cannot tolerate small matters, great plans will be thrown into chaos. How much more so in this age of warfare and calamity, which is merely the result of accumulated resentment, and the collapse of worldly order, which stems from a lack of long-term vision? For those who live in such times, how should they strive to turn back the raging tide?
示朝徹佛法中行佛法，非難也。世法中行佛法，乃為難事。又佛法仍不壞世法，名難中之難。然第患認佛法不真，不親切耳。世法佛法，何嘗不同一緣起哉。讀〈世主妙嚴品〉及〈入法界品〉，可悟如來境界矣。
> "Demonstrating Clear Penetration" Practicing the Buddha's teachings within the context of Buddhist practice is not difficult. What is truly challenging is living those teachings amidst the ordinary world. Moreover, to apply the Dharma without rejecting worldly life is the hardest challenge of all. Yet the real difficulty lies in failing to recognize the Dharma for what it truly is, and in not making it intimately our own. Are worldly life and the Dharma really not born from the same conditions? By reading the "Chapter on the Marvelous Adornments of the World-Sovereigns" and the "Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm," one can awaken to the state of the Thus-Gone One.
示雪林學道與學好不同。學好秪得世閒虛名，學道貴得出世實益。學好只顧眼前局面，學道須明塵劫遠猷。塵劫遠猷，不離眼前，而戀卻眼前，頓昧塵劫。惟達士直觀眼前一剎那性，非生滅，無去來，了不可得，安有身世自他，可拘可戀？然後觀同體積迷，興無緣弘誓。苟不足自利利他者，舉世趨之弗屑為，果能自利利他，世共非之弗敢怨，是謂學道，亦真學好者矣。
> For Xue Lin Practicing the Way is different from just being good. Being good only earns worldly fame, while practicing the Way aims for the true benefits of transcending the world. Being good focuses only on managing immediate situations, but practicing the Way requires understanding the far-reaching plans spanning countless eons. The far-reaching plans of countless eons do not separate from the present moment, yet clinging to the present moment instantly obscures those countless eons. Only a wise person directly sees the nature of the present moment’s instant, which is neither born nor destroyed, neither comes nor goes, and is fundamentally ungraspable. How then can there be a self and others, a body and a world, to be bound or clung to? Following this, they observe the collective confusion of all beings and generate the great vow for unconditional salvation. If a deed cannot benefit oneself and others, even if the whole world pursues it, they disdain to do it. If a deed can truly benefit oneself and others, even if the whole world condemns it, they dare not resent it. This is called practicing the Way, and it is also truly being good.
示王亦含修身以俟，不計近功，此造命之術也。惟後天而奉天時，始先天而天弗違。小水長流，則能穿石。鑽木未熱，火難可得。是以學道不難一時勇猛，難永久弗替。觀世音菩薩求男得男，如因病求得仙丹，兼得輕身遐舉。吾願居士，因求子而力行眾善，惟廣惟大，愈久愈堅，則證入一子地，視法界眾生，皆是吾子，振振麟趾，不待卜而可必矣。
> \*\*To Illuminate Prince Yuhan on This Path\*\* Cultivate virtue and await its fruition without seeking immediate results — this is the true way to shape your destiny. When you follow Heaven's rhythm in the realm of the manifest, you align with Heaven even before its laws become apparent. Gentle waters flow endlessly and can wear through stone; if you stop drilling wood before it grows hot, fire will never be born. Thus, the path does not demand a single burst of courage, but unwavering persistence that never falls away. The Bodhisattva Guanyin grants sons to those who sincerely pray, just as one who begs for the Elixir of Immortality to cure an illness may receive sudden flight and lightness of being. My wish for you, Patron, is to transform your desire for a son into countless good deeds — expanding them ever wider, deepening them ever longer, making them ever firmer. In this way, you will enter the Stage of One Son, seeing all beings in the Dharma Realm as your own children. The flourishing of a lineage of virtue will come, not through oracles, but with certainty.
示六度眾生無始來，不知一切惟心，妄計六塵緣影為自心相。故《佛頂》約七處徵之，《中論》約四性推之，智者約四運觀之，無非破緣影妄計而已。但不執緣影，則現前介爾一念，本自離過絕非，清淨周遍，百界千如，海印炳現矣。欲破緣影妄執，或就七處遍徵，或就四性橫簡，或就四運豎破，皆可。隨病服藥，法無一定，思而修之，存乎其人。
> The Six Perfections ExplainedFrom beginningless time, sentient beings, not realizing that everything is mind, mistakenly regard the shadows of the six sense objects as their own mind. Therefore, the \*Shurangama Sutra\* investigates this through the seven locations, the \*Madhyamaka\* through the four natures, and the wise ones through the four phases of thought—all aimed at breaking this misconception of taking mere shadows as reality. Once you no longer cling to these shadows, then the single present thought, in itself, is inherently free from all faults and negations, pure and pervasive, like a hundred worlds and a thousand suchnesses, shining brightly as the seal of the ocean. To break the attachment to these false shadows, one can investigate through the seven locations, analyze through the four natures, or dismantle through the four phases of thought. The method is not fixed; it depends on the illness. Contemplate and practice it—the realization lies within the individual.
示養德學道之人，骨宜剛，氣宜柔，志宜大，膽宜小，心宜虛，言宜實，慧宜增，福宜惜，慮宜遠，思宜近，事上宜虔，接下宜謙，處同輩宜退讓，得意勿恣意奢侈，失意勿抑鬱失措，作福莫如惜福，悔過莫如寡過，應念身世苦空，切莫隨流逐隊。衣取蔽形，莫貪齊整，食取克餒，莫嗜美味，嘗省此世，前生作何功行，可坐享檀施，十二時恒簡點身口意業，善多邪，惡多邪，無記多邪？堪消四事邪，不堪邪？如此慚愧覺悟修省，自然習氣漸消，智光漸露，祖意佛意，顯於一念清淨心中矣。
> A Guide to Cultivating Virtue Those who study the Way should have a firm backbone, a gentle temperament, great aspirations, but a cautious mind. Their hearts should be humble, their words truthful, their wisdom growing, and their blessings cherished. They should think far ahead yet focus on the immediate. When serving superiors, be reverent; when dealing with inferiors, be humble. With peers, practice restraint and yield. In success, do not indulge in extravagance; in adversity, do not sink into depression or panic. Doing good deeds is not as valuable as treasuring one's blessings; repenting of faults is not as good as having few faults to begin with. Always reflect on the suffering and emptiness of body and life, and never follow the crowd thoughtlessly. Clothing need only cover the body—do not crave neatness or style. Food need only satisfy hunger—do not crave delicious flavors. Constantly examine what good deeds and practices you performed in your past lives to deserve the offerings you now receive. Every hour of the day, check your thoughts, words, and actions: are they mostly good, mostly evil, or simply neutral? Do you truly deserve the four kinds of support, or not? With such a sense of shame, awareness, and self-correction, your habitual tendencies will gradually fade, and the light of wisdom will slowly emerge. The intentions of the patriarchs and the Buddha will then manifest within your single pure mind.
示予正研真窮妄，名之為學。蓋能深造自得，則左右逢其源，故愈博而愈約，否則愈博愈無頭緒，去道亦愈遠矣。古人發心出家，必矢志參學。由痛念生死事大，無常迅速，此身不向今生度，更向何生度此身。所以三登九上，百城煙水，不憚其勞，念念了當大事，豈肯著相計名，尋行數墨，附葉攀枝，以徒資口耳哉？末世不然，名為欲續如來慧命，撐如來法門，而不知痛為生死，惟積學問、廣見聞，冀可登座揮麈而已。嗟嗟！不與菩提大心相應，云代佛揚化，吾不信也。不與為生死心相應，云大菩提心，尤不信也。勝負情見不忘，僅成阿修羅法界，名利眷屬意念不忘，僅成三塗魔羅種子。隨其所見所聞，而起法執，不能捨棄名言習氣，不達如來說法旨趣，不知種種四悉因緣，僅成凡外戲論窠窟。學問益多，害心益甚，學人益盛，正法益衰。吾所以每一念及，未嘗不夢寐痛哭者也。
> I fervently pursue truth and dispel delusion—this is what we call study. When one delves deeply and attains personal realization, wisdom flows from all directions. Therefore, the broader one's knowledge becomes, the more focused it grows. Otherwise, the more one learns, the more confused they become, drifting further from the Way. When ancient practitioners renounced home life to become monastics, they resolutely committed to seeking guidance and practice. Deeply aware that birth and death are matters of utmost importance, and that impermanence arrives swiftly, they would ask themselves: "If I do not attain liberation in this very life, in which life will I accomplish it?" Thus they climbed three mountains, visited nine teachers, journeyed through a hundred cities, braving mist and rivers. They spared no effort, always intent on resolving the great matter of life and death. How could they cling to appearances, count names, or get tangled in words and branches, merely accumulating intellectual fodder? But in these degenerate times, it is not so. People claim to carry on the wisdom-life of the Buddha and uphold the Dharma-door, yet they fail to deeply address the matter of birth and death. Instead, they accumulate knowledge, broaden their experience, and hope to ascend the seat and wave the whisk—nothing more. Alas! If one's mind does not align with the great Bodhi aspiration, can they truly claim to be speaking on behalf of the Buddha? If one's mind does not harmonize with the urgency of birth and death, how can they claim to possess the great Bodhi mind? Without abandoning competitive and egotistical views, one merely creates the realm of Asuras. Without letting go of thoughts of fame, gain, and dependency, one only sows seeds for the three lower realms and demonic influences. People cling to the views and knowledge they encounter, giving rise to attachment to the Dharma. They fail to relinquish habitual patterns of intellectual terminology, cannot grasp the true intent of the Buddha's teachings, and do not understand the manifold skillful means employed for diverse beings' needs. They end up caught in the traps of worldly and heretical intellectual games. The more knowledge they accumulate, the more it harms their minds. The more their followers grow, the more the True Dharma declines. This is why, whenever I think of such things, I cannot help but weep even in my dreams.
示庸菴千里之行，始於一步。一步未足，不名到家。謂千里只一步，可也，謂一步即千里，可乎？夫以佛道為千里者，戒是最初一步。從此至成佛，總不出此一步，而決不容守而不進。蓋進則此一步念念保全，止則此一步當下衰息。然進步之法，不過捨無始故步，故步各有偏滯，而最障道莫若瞋慢。一念瞋心起，百萬障門開。慢如高山，法水不停。又非理瞋麤而易除，執理瞋細而難斷。慢、過慢顯而易見，增上慢、卑劣慢隱而難知，知所難知、斷所難斷，是謂能離退緣矣。
> \*\*To a Lay Practitioner\*\* A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If one step is not completed, you cannot say you've arrived home. It's acceptable to say that a thousand miles is just one step, but is it acceptable to say that one step \*is\* a thousand miles? Consider the Buddha's path as a thousand miles. Observing precepts (śīla) is the very first step. From here until enlightenment, you never leave this first step behind. Yet, you must never guard it without moving forward. If you advance, this step is maintained in every thought. If you stop, this step instantly withers and disintegrates. The method for advancing is simply to let go of beginnings habitual steps. Those old steps each have their own biases and stagnations, but none obstruct the path more than anger and arrogance. Once a thought of anger arises, a million barriers open. Arrogance is like a high mountain; the water of Dharma cannot stay. Obvious anger is coarse and easy to uproot. Righteous indignation is subtle and hard to cut through. Overt arrogance and competitive arrogance are easy to see, while false modesty and subtle arrogance are hidden and hard to recognize. Knowing what is hard to know, cutting what is hard to cut—this is what it means to be able to leave behind the conditions of retreat.
示明西出三界火宅，有橫豎兩塗。以自力斷惑超生死者，名豎出三界，事難功漸。以佛力接引生西方者，名橫超三界，事易功頓。遠祖云：「功高易進，念佛為先。」經云：「末世億億人修行，罕一成道，惟依念佛，可得度脫。如趁船渡海，不勞功力。」夫能篤信西方捷徑，至誠發願，一心念佛求往生者，真大丈夫矣。儻信不真，願不切，行不力，佛雖大慈為舟，如眾生不肯登舟，何哉。
> There are two ways to escape the burning house of the Three Realms: the vertical and the horizontal. Severing delusion and transcending birth-and-death through one's own power is called the vertical escape from the Three Realms. This path is difficult and progress is gradual. Being guided by the compassionate power of the Buddha to be reborn in the Western Pure Land is called the horizontal transcendence of the Three Realms. This path is easy and the result is swift. The ancient patriarch said: "The most supreme and swiftly attained practice is mindfulness of the Buddha." The sutra states: "In the Final Age, billions of beings may cultivate, but hardly one will achieve enlightenment. Only by relying on mindfulness of the Buddha can they attain liberation. It is like taking a boat across the sea—no great effort is needed." Those who can truly believe in this shortcut to the West, earnestly make vows, and single-mindedly practice mindfulness of the Buddha, seeking rebirth, are truly great people. But if one's faith is not genuine, their vow not sincere, and their practice not diligent—even though the Buddhas in their great compassion provide a ship—if beings refuse to board the ship, what can be done?
示謝在之吾人現前一念心性，過去無始，未來無終，現在無際，覓之了不可得，而不可謂無。應用千變萬化，而不可謂有。三世諸佛，一切眾生，從無二體。十方虛空，剎塵差別，皆吾心所現之相分耳。是故四種淨土，皆不在心外，乃名唯心。謂極樂不即唯心，則西方豈在心外，而吾心豈局東方者哉。人謂諸有為法，皆如夢幻，不知心性不可喚作有為、不可喚作無為，因迷故，即無為成有為。有三界輪迴因果，喻如夢幻泡影露電。若返迷歸悟，則又即有為成無為，如夢得醒，幻復本，泡歸水，影歸質，露不異溼性，電不異常光。今念佛求生淨土，正返迷歸悟，至圓至頓。概以夢幻埽之，可乎哉？今人於夢幻妻子家緣，不能當下割捨；夢幻功名富貴，不能當下遠離；夢幻苦樂寒暑，不能當下覷破；乃至夢幻詩文機鋒轉語，不能當下唾棄。獨於夢幻西方，則不求生，亦大惑矣。夫依對待而論，娑婆活計，添夢者也，求生淨土，醒夢者也，不可不求生也。依絕待而論，惑業感於三界，惡夢也，念佛生於淨土，好夢也，亦不可不求生也。惑者又曰：當下即是淨土，何必西方？問曰：當下即飽暖，何必喫飯穿衣？當下即富貴，何必貨殖科甲？當下是學問，何必讀書？當下是帝京，何必北上？既世閒法毫不可廢，何獨於出世法而廢之？苟深思此理，淨土之生，萬牛莫挽矣。天如大祖師云：「悟後不願往生，敢保老兄未悟。」釋迦復起，不易斯言。
> The mind-nature that we experience in this very moment has no beginning in the past, no end in the future, and no boundaries in the present. If you try to find it, you cannot grasp a single thing—and yet you cannot call it nonexistent. Its functions and transformations are endlessly varied—and yet you cannot call it fixed or real. All Buddhas of the past, present, and future, along with all sentient beings, share the same fundamental essence. The vast void of the ten directions, with its countless distinctions of realms and atoms, are merely images manifested by our own mind. Therefore, the four kinds of Pure Lands are never outside the mind. This is why it is called "Mind-Only." If someone says that the Land of Ultimate Bliss is not entirely mind-only, then is the Western Pure Land outside the mind? And is our mind confined merely to the East? People say that all conditioned phenomena are like dreams and illusions, not realizing that the mind-nature cannot be called conditioned or unconditioned. Because we are deluded, the unconditioned becomes conditioned—resulting in the three realms of cyclic existence, with causes and effects as illusory as dreams, bubbles, shadows, dew, or lightning. But if we turn from delusion back to awakening, the conditioned becomes unconditioned—like waking from a dream, or an illusion returning to its source, a bubble merging into water, a shadow merging into its form, dew not different from wetness, and lightning not other than light itself. Now, chanting the Buddha's name and seeking rebirth in the Pure Land is precisely this turning from delusion to awakening—the most complete and immediate path. Is it right to dismiss it all simply as "dream and illusion"? People today cannot immediately let go of their dream-like wives, children, and worldly attachments. They cannot immediately distance themselves from dream-like fame, status, and wealth. They cannot instantly see through dream-like pain and pleasure, heat and cold. And they cannot instantly discard dream-like poetry, clever words, and philosophical sparring. Yet when it comes to the dream-like Western Pure Land, they refuse to seek rebirth there—is this not a great confusion? If we look from the perspective of relative truth: this Saha world's schemes and pursuits add more dreams, while seeking rebirth in the Pure Land wakes us from dreams. So we must seek rebirth. If we look from the perspective of absolute truth: the karma of confusion that leads to the three realms is a nightmare, while chanting the Buddha's name and being reborn in the Pure Land is a good dream. So still, we must seek rebirth. Some confused people ask, "Isn't the present moment itself the Pure Land? Why must we seek the West?" The reply: "Then isn't the present moment enough for food and warmth? Why bother eating and dressing? Isn't the present moment enough for wealth and status? Why seek business or honor? Isn't the present moment enough for knowledge? Why study books? Isn't the present moment the imperial capital? Why journey north?" Of course, we do not abandon worldly matters, so why should we abandon the path of transcendence? If you deeply contemplate this principle, your resolve to be reborn in the Pure Land will become so firm that ten thousand oxen cannot pull you back. The great master Tianru said, "If someone claims to have awakened but does not wish to be reborn in the Pure Land, I dare to guarantee they are not yet truly awakened." Even if Shakyamuni Buddha were to rise again, he would not change these words.
示眉慧學道貴有品格，有識量，而文字記問不與焉。有品格無識量，不足曠超千古，猶無品格也。有識量無品格，不足砥柱中流，猶無識量也。品格識量既具，則不被眼前活計所局，時流習氣所遷。縱鈍若般陀，而拂塵除垢四字義熟，便堪證沙門果，發無礙辯，況本解文義者哉。嗚呼！法門之衰，至今日，不忍言矣。剝必復，否必泰，若要梅花香撲鼻，還他徹骨一番寒。豪傑之士，宜何如動心忍性，以無負己靈也。
> To the One of Eyebrow Wisdom Learning the Way values integrity and vision—not mere literary skill or rote memorization. Without vision, integrity cannot transcend the ages; it is as if integrity itself were absent. Without integrity, vision cannot stand firm as a pillar in the torrent; it is as if vision itself were lacking. Once both integrity and vision are present, you will not be confined by immediate circumstances nor swept away by the trends of the times. Even if you are as dull as Bhadrika, thoroughly mastering just the four words "wipe away the dust and remove the dirt" can lead to the fruit of a śrāmaṇa and the attainment of unimpeded eloquence. How much more so for those who already comprehend words and meanings! Alas! The decline of the Dharma-door—until this day, it is too painful to speak of. When decay reaches its peak, renewal must come; when adversity reaches its limit, good fortune follows. If you want the plum blossom’s fragrance to fill the air, it must endure a bone-piercing winter chill. How should heroes and noble souls stir their minds and temper their will, so as not to betray their own spiritual nature?
示不岐十方如來一門，超出妙莊嚴路，不過了妄想無性，悟常住真心性淨明體而已。欲悟真性，貴直心正念真如。欲作真如實觀，先修惟心識觀，強觀諸法無實，惟心所現，則心外無法。次觀心無心相，覓之了不可得，則法外無心。既心法兩亡，能所性絕，不謂之真如實觀，不可得矣。設不正念真如，妄計有心有法、有能有所，則自生岐隔，墮委曲相。只此委曲，亦無別體，元攬真如為體，如狂花以空為體，波浪以水為體，故曰此想不真。知想不真，則不隨虛妄生死相續，而佛祖傳授心法，極盡於此。以此心法，往印千經萬論、列祖公案，不啻閉門造車，出門合轍。若不向此門打徹，別商學問工夫，總之多岐亡羊，非大佛頂首楞嚴三昧。欲修三昧，尤須事理並進，顯密互資，除助因，刳正性，違現業，誓於現生取辦可也。
> Thus all Tathāgatas of the ten directions share a single gateway—a path that surpasses the wondrous adornment. At its core, it merely involves realizing that deluded thoughts have no true nature, and awakening to the everlasting true mind, which is inherently pure, bright, and real. To awaken to this true nature, the essential practice is a straightforward mind that corrects and contemplates Thusness. If you wish to engage in the true contemplation of Thusness, first cultivate the mind-only consciousness contemplation: firmly observe that all phenomena lack inherent reality and are merely manifestations of mind. Then, beyond the mind there are no phenomena. Next, contemplate that the mind itself has no fixed form—search for it and it is ultimately unfindable. Thus, outside of phenomena there is no mind. Once both mind and phenomena vanish, and the duality of subject and object dissolves, you cannot help but realize the true contemplation of Thusness. If you fail to correct and contemplate Thusness and instead cling to notions of “mind,” “phenomena,” “subject,” and “object,” you will create unnecessary divisions and fall into distorted views. Yet these distorted views have no separate essence—they are still rooted in Thusness itself, just as illusory flowers are rooted in space, or waves are rooted in water. Therefore, it is said: “This thought is not true.” Knowing that thought is not true, you will no longer be swept along by the cycle of birth and death based on deluded thinking. The essential teaching passed down by the Buddhas and patriarchs is fully encompassed here. When you apply this mind-teaching to verify the countless sutras, treatises, and patriarchs’ gong’ans, it is like building a cart behind closed doors—when you go out, the tracks match perfectly. If you do not thoroughly penetrate this gateway and instead pursue other forms of learning or practice, you will end up like a lost sheep at a crossroads. That would not be the Great Buddha’s Crown Shurangama Samadhi. To cultivate this Samadhi, you must advance in both principle and practice, and complement the exoteric and esoteric approaches. Remove causal hindrances, purify your basic nature, and transcend karmic tendencies. Resolve to achieve this in your present life.
示爾介介爾有心，三千具足。此圓人稱性而觀，稱性而悟，彈指超無學，一路涅槃門也。今有志之士，不能一超直入者，秪由妄認六塵緣影為自心相，不肯直下諦觀介爾之心本自了不可得故也。如肯直觀，則知心無心相。既不認緣影為心，則虛空山河大地，咸吾介爾心中所現物矣。能緣既無，所緣安有？一空一切空，而非斷滅。所現窮互，能現亦然。一假一切假，而皆如幻，不可以空名，不可以假名，強名為中，中亦不在空假之外。空假無體，全以中道為體。言空則三千悉空，言假則三千並假，言中則三千並中，故得互互具足，無欠無餘。如此則一塵中剖出大千經卷，有何正像末之可分別。此則不唯為佛祖出氣，亦可為予一洗句讀先生之恥矣。
> "\[I declare to you:\] Within this single instant of thought, the entire three thousand realms are fully present. This is what the perfectly enlightened person perceives and awakens to in accordance with their true nature. In a snap of the fingers, they transcend all stages of training and enter directly through the single gate of Nirvana. Why do those with aspiration today fail to achieve this direct realization? Simply because they mistakenly take the reflections of the six sense objects\* as their own mind and are unwilling to honestly observe that this very instant of thought is essentially ungraspable. If they were willing to observe directly, they would see that the mind has no mind-nature. Once you stop mistaking these sensory reflections for the mind, then space, mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all manifestations arising within this single instant of thought. When the perceiving subject no longer exists, how can there be any perceived object? When emptiness is realized, all things are empty, yet this is not nihilism. When the objects of perception interpenetrate boundlessly, the same is true of the perceiving subject. When conventional reality is realized, all things are conventional, yet all are like illusions. Neither the name 'emptiness' nor the name 'conventionality' can fully express it. Forced to name it, we call it the 'Middle Way'—yet the Middle Way is not separate from emptiness and conventionality. Emptiness and conventionality have no independent essence; they are entirely the substance of the Middle Way. When we speak of emptiness, the three thousand realms are all emptiness. When we speak of conventionality, the three thousand are all conventional. When we speak of the Middle, the three thousand are all the Middle. Thus they interpenetrate, fully present, without lack or excess. In this way, within a single speck of dust, the entire great scripture of countless chapters is revealed. How could there be any distinction between the 'True Dharma, Semblance Dharma, or Final Dharma' periods? This not only restores the dignity of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, but also washes away for me the shame of being a mere grammarian." \*\[Six sense objects: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and mental objects.\]
示夏藎臣聖賢固不擇地，不擇時生，然往往生於山谷亂世者，蓮出汙泥，珠生濁水，非苟然也。蓮在泥，泥不能染；珠在濁，濁不能混。聖賢之在山谷亂世，山谷豈能局之，亂世豈能易之？夫山谷不能局，亂世不能易者，寧唯聖賢有之，聖賢能勿喪耳。堯舜心法，不過危微二字，操則存，捨則亡。伯玉寡過未能，子路聞過則喜，孔子五十學易，文王望道未見，皆危微心印也。是故不以求放心為學問，而徒事口耳，異乎聖賢所謂學問矣。顧心是何物？云何名放，云何而求？若放則馳散六合，求則還歸一腔，此緣影耳，風大耳。過去未來現在，心不可得。設有可得，與雞犬同是一物，而心豈一物哉？真求放心者，必須覓心了不可得。惟心了不可得，方知天地日月山河國土，皆妙明心中所現物，亦無能現所現之分，是謂天下歸仁，是謂明明德於天下，是謂山谷所不能局，亂世所不能易。故陸象山云：「東南西北海，有聖人出焉，此心此理同也。」悟此，決不更問天地何所窮際。以心外無天地，天地止是心之相分耳。《楞嚴》云：「十方虛空，生汝心內，猶如片雲，點太清裏，況諸世界，在虛空邪。」知此，則儒與佛，均不足以名之。一任名儒與佛，無所不可，努力求焉。
> To Xia JinchenSages and worthies are certainly not bound by place or time. Yet they are often born in remote valleys and times of chaos: a lotus grows from mud, a pearl arises from murky water, and this is no accident. The lotus in mud is not stained by it; the pearl in murky water is not tainted by it. Sages and worthies born in remote valleys and times of chaos—can these valleys confine them, or chaos alter them? But those who cannot be confined or altered are not unique to sages and worthies—only sages and worthies never lose that ability. The heart-method of Yao and Shun is nothing more than the two words "precarious and subtle." Grasp it, and it remains; let go, and it vanishes. Boyu could not avoid mistakes; Zilu rejoiced at hearing of his faults. Confucius studied the I Ching at fifty; King Wen saw the Way as never fully attained. All these are the seal of the precarious and subtle. Therefore, one who does not take "recovering the lost mind" as the core of learning but busies only with mouth and ears differs from what sages and worthies call learning. Yet what is this "mind"? What is meant by "lost," and how can it be "recovered"? If lost, it races and dissipates throughout the universe; if recovered, it returns to the chest—this is merely a reflection, a conditioned byproduct of the wind element. The past mind cannot be grasped, the future mind cannot be grasped, the present mind cannot be grasped. If something could be grasped, it would be no different from a chicken or dog—a single object. But is the mind a thing? One who truly seeks to recover the lost mind must realize that the mind cannot be found. Only when the mind is seen as unfindable, does one know that heaven and earth, sun and moon, mountains and rivers, and lands are all manifestations within the wondrous, radiant mind, without division into manifester and manifested. This is called "restoring benevolence to the world," "manifesting radiant virtue to all under heaven," and "being unconfined by remote valleys, unaltered by chaos." As Lu Xiangshan said: "When a sage appears in the Eastern, Southern, Western, or Northern Sea, this mind and this principle are the same." Understanding this, one will no longer ask where the boundaries of heaven and earth lie. For outside the mind, there is no heaven or earth; heaven and earth are merely the perceived aspect of the mind. The \*Shurangama Sutra\* says: "The ten directions of empty space arise within your mind, like a single cloud dotting the vast clear sky—how much more so the worlds within that emptiness?" Knowing this, terms like "Confucian" or "Buddhist" cannot define it. Call it Confucian or Buddhist as you will—either is fine. Strive earnestly to seek it.
示蔡二白天地萬物，皆有始終，有形象，有方隅，有分劑，唯心識無始終形象方隅分劑，故曰覓心了不可得。心了不可得，而天地萬物，無一不唯心矣。然我法二執不破，則唯心唯識之理不彰。心識之理未明，則因果感應之妙，不能如指諸掌。故《華嚴》云：「應觀法界性，一切唯心造。」《觀經》云：「深信因果，不謗大乘。」夫心猶金也，十法界因果，猶種種莊嚴器具也。然天下容有不造器之頑金，斷無不造十法界之頑心。縱一念不生，仍造成無想外道矣。故大智慧人，深悟唯心，必勤念佛，所謂是心作佛，是心是佛。此唯二白居士，可承當之。
> To Cai Erbai Everything in the universe has a beginning and an end; it has form, location and boundaries. Only the mind-consciousness has none of these—no beginning or end, no form, no location, no boundaries. That is why it is said to be completely unfindable. And precisely because the mind is unfindable, there is nothing in the universe that is not a product of the mind. However, unless we break our attachment to the self and to phenomena, the truth that “everything is mind-only” and “everything is consciousness-only” will not be revealed. And without understanding what the mind-consciousness really is, we cannot grasp the subtle workings of cause and effect as clearly as we see our own fingers. Therefore, the \*Avatamsaka Sutra\* says: “Observe the nature of the Dharma-realm—all things are created by the mind.” And the \*Contemplation Sutra\* says: “Deeply believe in cause and effect; do not slander the Mahayana.” The mind is like gold. The ten realms of being and their respective causes and effects are like various ornaments and tools fashioned from it. Yet while useless gold that never gets made into anything can exist, there is never a useless mind that does not create \*some\* realm of existence. Even a single thought of non-thinking still creates the realm of non-conceptual heretics. That is why people of great wisdom, having deeply realized that everything is mind, earnestly practice Buddha-recitation. As the saying goes: “The mind makes the Buddha; this very mind is the Buddha.” This is a truth that only you, Layman Erbai, can truly take up.
示李剖籓善學聖人之道，貴得其神，不可泥其跡。神也者，妙萬物而為言者也。故曰：聖而不可知之之謂神。然神豈迥在跡外哉？特不泥於跡耳。不泥跡，故，堯、舜揖讓，湯、武征誅，武、周治世，夷、齊高隱，比干諫死，微、箕奴去，孔不俟駕，孟不可召，泰伯斷髮文身，曾子啟足啟手，禹、稷過門不入，顏子簞瓢陋巷，不唯並行不悖，亦可易地皆然。如以跡而已矣，則子莫執中，不幾濫大舜之用中乎。嗟乎，盈天地閒，凡可睹聞，何莫非跡。惟視之而弗見，聽之而弗聞者，乃為神。而求道者，往往局視聽所及，鮮能求於不睹不聞之真源，其何以當吾世而見知，越百世而聞知。故曰：顏子沒而聖學亡，良足悲已。顧聖學雖亡，有不可亡者。特患仁者見之謂之仁，智者見之謂之智，百姓日用而不知耳。王陽明奮二千年後，居夷三載，頓悟良知，一洗漢宋諸儒陋習，直接孔顏心學之傳。予年二十時所悟，與陽明同，但陽明境上鍊得，力大而用廣；予看書時解得，力微而用弱。由此悟門，方得為佛法階漸。今於佛法所窺，較昔所悟，猶海若之於河伯。而佛法海中，尚未盡一滴之量。道之無窮，其致若此。儻不剖開人世籓籬，何由到此海闊天空境界？孔子荅善人之道，謂不踐跡。又云：善人吾不得而見。甚矣，不踐跡之難也。下學而上達，斯不踐跡而入室者乎？上達為君子，下達為小人。汝為君子儒，毋為小人儒。當知四科六藝皆跡，而三綱五常亦跡也，天地日月、兩儀太極，無非跡也，皆形而下者也。神而明之，存乎其人。形而上者，乃謂之道。中人以上，可以語上，非剖籓是望而誰望？
> Demonstration on Breaking Through the Fence, for Li Po-fanTo truly study the Way of the Sage, one must grasp its spirit, not be fixated on its traces. What is "spirit"? It is the mysterious force that gives life and meaning to all things. Thus it is said: "The sage, in his unfathomable nature, is called spirit." But is spirit somehow separate from the traces? Not at all — the key is merely not to be rigidly attached to them. Because one is not attached to the traces, Emperor Yao and Shun could abdicate, while Tang and Wu could launch righteous military campaigns. The Duke of Zhou governed the world, while Boyi and Shuqi lived in lofty seclusion. Bi Gan died for speaking the truth, while Weizi and Jizi became slaves or fled. Confucius would not wait for his carriage to be prepared before leaving a state, yet Mencius could not be summoned by the ruler. Taibo cut his hair and tattooed his body, while Zengzi carefully guarded his hands and feet. Yu and Ji passed by their own homes without entering, while Yanzi lived contentedly in a humble alley with only a bamboo basket and a gourd. All these actions seem contradictory, yet they are not in conflict — indeed, each would act the same way if placed in the other's situation. If you look only at the external traces, then even Zimo's rigid "holding the middle" would seem close to the Great Shun's flexible use of the mean — and that would be a grave mistake. Alas, everything in heaven and earth that can be seen or heard is nothing but traces. Only what cannot be seen or heard — that is spirit. Yet those who seek the Way are often confined by what their eyes and ears can reach; few seek the true source beyond sight and sound. How then can they be recognized in their own time, or known a hundred generations later? As it is said: "When Yanzi passed away, the Sage's learning vanished." How truly sorrowful! Yet though the Sage's learning may have vanished, there is something within it that cannot vanish. The problem is merely that "the benevolent see it and call it benevolence, the wise see it and call it wisdom; ordinary people use it daily but do not recognize it." That is all. After two thousand years, Wang Yangming arose. Living among the barbarians for three years, he awakened suddenly to "innate knowing," sweeping away the stale habits of the Han and Song Confucians, and directly inheriting the mind-to-mind transmission of Confucius and Yanzi. At the age of twenty, I had a realization similar to Yangming's. But Yangming forged his insight through real circumstances — his power was great and his application broad. I, on the other hand, realized it through reading books — my power was thin and my application weak. Yet this gate of awakening became my stepping stone to the Buddhadharma. Now, what I have glimpsed of the Dharma is to my former understanding as the North Sea god is to the River Earl. And yet, within the vast ocean of the Dharma, I have not yet tasted even a single drop. The Way is so infinitely vast — such is its profound nature. If we do not shatter the fences and barriers of the mundane world, how can we ever reach this ocean-wide, sky-open realm? When Confucius spoke of the good man's Way, he said that "he does not tread the old tracks." He also said: "A good man — I have never seen one." How difficult it truly is to not tread on old traces! To learn from the lower levels and yet reach the higher — is this not the one who, without treading the old tracks, enters the inner chamber? "Ascending upward makes a gentleman; descending downward makes a petty person." "Be a scholar-gentleman, not a scholar-petty person." You should know: the Four Departments and Six Arts are all traces; even the Three Bonds and Five Constants are traces. Heaven, earth, sun, moon, the Two Forces and the Great Ultimate — none are not traces, all belong to the world of forms. To make them spiritual and illuminate them — this depends on the person. Only what is beyond form is called the Way. For those of average ability or above, we can speak of the higher things. And if not to you, who is looking to break through the fence, to whom else would I speak?
示石耕佛法之盛衰，由儒學之隆替。儒之德業學問，實佛之命脈骨髓。故在世為真儒者，出世乃為真佛。以真儒心行而學佛，則不學世之假佛。何謂假佛，立門庭，尚施設，取悅耳目，不究極於心源，以衣缽為持律，消文貼句為演教，機鋒偈頌為禪宗，名利存懷，偷心見刺，魔王長歡，大聖永歎。壞周室者，齊桓晉文耳。何謂真佛，破我法二執，觀二空真如，自見其過，憫他犯過，舉心動念，舉足動步，皆為自出生死成菩提，亦令眾生同出生死成菩提。是故持律，則開遮持犯，洞了分明，性業遮業，誓求清淨。閱教則辨體明宗，識用知相，若權若實，深達指歸。參禪則截斷偷心，直明本性，識取綱宗，不存軌則。雖三學圓明，仍能不知不慍，決不炫玉求售，決不執己律人。惟隨順物宜，應病與藥，漚和般若，雙照並行，斯乃不負堂堂僧相，堪稱出世丈夫。佛恩既報，則宣聖之恩，君父檀信之恩亦報矣。
> For Stone Farming The flourishing and decline of the Buddha’s teaching is tied to the rise and fall of Confucian virtue. The moral cultivation and scholarly learning of Confucianism are the lifeblood and marrow of Buddhism. Therefore, one who is a true Confucian in secular life becomes a true Buddha when renouncing the world. By practicing Buddhism with the heart and conduct of a true Confucian, one avoids imitating the false Buddhas of the world. What is a false Buddha? One who sets up a sect, focuses on external forms, seeks to please the senses, does not probe the depths of the mind’s source, regards the robe and bowl as upholding the precepts, takes dissecting texts and pasting phrases as teaching the scriptures, sees sharp repartee and verse as the Chan school, harbors thoughts of fame and gain, keeps the thorn of a scheming mind, making the demon king rejoice while the great sage laments forever. The ones who ruined the Zhou dynasty were Lord Qi of Huan and Lord Wen of Jin. What is a true Buddha? One who breaks the two attachments to self and phenomena, observes the two truths of emptiness, sees one’s own faults, feels compassion for others’ faults, and in every thought and movement of mind, every step taken, works solely for one’s own escape from birth and death to enlightenment, while also enabling all beings to likewise escape birth and death to enlightenment. Therefore, when upholding the precepts, one clearly understands what is allowed and what is forbidden, what is upheld and what is violated, thoroughly discriminating, and vows purity regarding nature-based and circumstance-based offenses. When studying the scriptures, one discerns the essence, clarifies the aim, recognizes the function, knows the characteristics, distinguishes provisional from ultimate teachings, and deeply penetrates their core intent. When practicing Chan, one cuts off the scheming mind, directly illuminates one’s true nature, grasps the essential principles, and abandons fixed rules. Although perfect in the three learnings, one remains able to be unnoticed and unresented, never displaying one’s jade to seek buyers, never insisting on one’s own standards to judge others. Only adapting to what is appropriate for beings, prescribing medicine according to illness, with clear wisdom and compassionate means shining in tandem—this alone fulfills one’s dignified monkhood and qualifies one as a great renunciant in the world. When the Buddha’s kindness is repaid, then the kindness of Confucius, of parents, rulers, and benefactors, is also repaid.
示語幻法門之衰，已非一日。而致衰之故，由因地不真。今人發心參學，罔不以扶持法門為志。及察其所謂扶持者，不過曰開叢林，建梵剎，攢指五千一萬，災梨殺青無虛日，嗣子皆才華名世、美丰神，座下戒子，缽杖圍繞數十匝，薙度徒眾，環里市而處如錯星。乃至紫綬金魚，乘高車肥馬，往來山林閒，絡繹不絕而已。故下手時，便從世諦流布中著眼，便向門庭施設處安排。而佛祖真命脈，遂為此等人埋沒殆盡。五霸者，三王之罪人，諒哉！何謂佛祖真命脈？破我相，蕩法執，剋除習氣，涕唾利名，時自簡點過失，決不一言一事欺心，師正法不師像法，學古人不學時人，自己死盡偷心，然後能死學人偷心，自己透盡佛祖心奧，亦不輕以佛祖心奧強示於人。何故？中人以上，可以語上；中人以下，不可語上。不憤不啟，不悱不發。民可使由之，遯世不見，知而不悔。如釋尊之脫珍御敝，能為下劣。忍於斯事，四十餘年，久默斯要，不務速說。凡佛祖聖賢出世，止循循誘眾生，非賣自己風光，何須汲汲炫其所長，惟恐門庭或卑，名位之或下邪？才有一念爭門庭，分高下心，便是生死根本。以此撐持，則法門日陋，直至不可復救而後已。痛哉痛哉！予於此夢寐永泣，無可輕與言者。法友或能信此，為一拈之。
> \*\*Illusion Words\*\* The decline of the Dharma teachings has not been sudden. The root cause of this decline lies in the lack of genuine motivation from the start. Today, people who set out to study and practice nearly all claim they intend to support the Dharma. But when we examine what they mean by "supporting," it amounts to nothing more than building monasteries, establishing temples, raising vast sums of money, endlessly publishing scriptures, and having disciples who are all talented, handsome, and famous. Their ordination students gather around them in rings ten deep, their tonsured followers crowd the towns and markets like scattered stars. They may even wear purple robes and gold belts, ride luxurious carriages and fine horses, and tirelessly travel between mountains and forests. But from the very beginning, they set their sights on worldly success, arranging everything to enhance their own prestige, while the true lifeblood of the Buddhas and patriarchs is entirely buried and destroyed by such people. The Five Hegemons were the sinners against the Three Sage Kings—how true that saying is! \*\*What is the true lifeblood of the Buddhas and patriarchs?\*\* It is to break the attachment to self, eliminate attachment to doctrines, eradicate habitual tendencies, treat fame and profit as no more than spit and snot, constantly examine your own faults, and never deceive your own heart with a single word or deed. Learn from the true Dharma, not its mere form; imitate the ancients, not the contemporaries. First, thoroughly kill your own scheming mind, and only then can you kill the scheming mind of your students. Thoroughly penetrate the deepest heart of the Buddhas and patriarchs, yet never lightly force that depth upon others. Why? Because those of average intelligence may be taught high teachings, but those below average cannot. Do not enlighten those who are not already striving; do not explain to those who are not already troubled. The common people can be made to follow a path, but they cannot be made to understand the reason. Live unseen by the world, and be unashamed even when unknown. Just as Shakyamuni himself cast aside his priceless jeweled robes to wear tattered garments, he was willing to humble himself for the sake of the lowly. He endured this work for over forty years, remaining silent about the essential truth for a long time, and never hastening to reveal it. Any sage or holy one who appears in the world only guides beings gradually, step by step—they are not putting their own brilliance on display. Why would they need to rush to flaunt their talents, fearing only that their status or reputation might be too low? The moment you have a single thought of competing for status or comparing rank, that very thought is the root of birth and death. If you try to support the Dharma with such a mind, the teachings will deteriorate day by day, until they reach a point beyond salvation. Painful! So painful! I weep tears over this day and night, and there is hardly anyone with whom I can speak frankly. Perhaps you, my Dharma friend, can understand this. Let me share it with you.
示聖可千經萬論，求之語言文字，則轉多轉遠。求之現前一念，則愈約愈親。蓋一切經論，不過現前一念心之註腳，非心性外別有佛祖道理也。然心性難明，故藉千經萬論，互相發明。今捨現前心性，而泛求經論，不啻迷頭認影矣。真明心性者，知經論是明心性之要訣，必不棄捨。但看時，知無一文一字，不是指點此理，就所指處，直下從身心理會清楚。如破我法二執，的的破盡，不留分毫，辨種現根隨，則使自心種現根隨，歷如指掌，不使家賊作祟，是謂不離文字，而得觀照，不作文字解，不作道理解，便是真參實究。不論年月生劫，將三藏十二部，都盧作一話頭，看來看去，人一能之己百之，人十能之己千之，看到牛皮穿破，眼睛突出，忽然無心契悟，方知與麻三斤、乾矢橛，同是敲門方便。那時若不透盡千七百公案，不攝盡十方三世一切佛法，無有是處。
> for Shengke Thousands of sutras and tens of thousands of treatises—if you seek them through words and language, the more you search, the farther you stray. Seek them in the single thought of the present moment, and the more you distill, the closer you come. For all scriptures and commentaries are nothing but footnotes to that single thought—there is no Buddha-truth apart from mind-nature. Yet mind-nature is hard to grasp, so thousands of sutras and treatises are used to illuminate it from different angles. Now, to abandon the mind of the present moment and blindly pursue scriptures is like mistaking the reflection for the head itself. One who truly understands mind-nature knows that scriptures are essential pointers to it and will never discard them. But when reading, recognize that not a single word or letter fails to point to this principle. From where it points, directly clarify it in body and mind. For example, when breaking the attachment to self and phenomena, break them thoroughly, leaving not a trace. Distinguish seeds, manifestations, roots, and influences; then the seeds, manifestations, roots, and influences of your own mind become as clear as the palm of your hand. Do not let the thief within cause trouble. This is called "never leaving words yet attaining insight." Neither interpret as words nor as doctrine—that is true investigation and real practice. Regardless of months, years, or eons, treat the entire Tripitaka—the twelve divisions—as one single meditation topic. Read it over and over. If others can do it once, you do it a hundred times; if others can do it ten times, you do it a thousand times. Read until cowhide is punctured and your eyes pop out. Suddenly, with no deliberate intention, you awaken. Only then will you realize that "three pounds of flax" and "a dry shit-stick" are equally convenient keys to the door. At that point, if you have not thoroughly penetrated all one thousand seven hundred public cases, and if you have not encompassed the entire Buddha-dharma of the ten directions and three times, there is no such thing.
示證心證心大德，問心要於予。予曰：心要莫若念佛。壽昌云：「念佛心即是佛。」蓋現前一念之心，無性緣生，緣生無性者也。惟其無性緣生，故念名滿腔是名，念利滿腔是利，乃至晝所為、夜所夢，無不趨歸於一念之專注，而十界昇沈，從此出矣。惟其緣生無性，故熾然造集善惡之時，驀地放下，則一切法了不可得。然設向此了不可得處坐定，則墮無為深坑，不能證法界無障礙體，不能起法界無障礙用。故須念佛求生淨土，方是大乘不可思議圓頓法門。夫念佛者，豈有他哉？以此緣生無性之一念，念彼無性緣生之佛名耳。佛名既是無性緣生，則緣生亦仍無性。是故念一聲，有一聲佛名顯現。念十百千萬聲，有十百千萬佛名顯現。而不念時，便寂然矣。念性既是緣生無性，則無性不礙緣生。儻不念佛，正恐又生種種雜念。縱不生雜念，亦恐墮在無生窠臼。故必以佛號生我之念，使我念念不離佛號。此乃心外無佛，佛外無心，是心作佛，是心是佛。謂之以佛證心可也，謂之以心證佛可也，謂之以佛證佛、以心證心亦可也。至直捷穩當，至圓頓了義，不可思議，不可將餘一切法門比量。果如此信得及，直下念去，則諸佛出廣長舌相以證之。若人專念彌陀佛，號曰無上深妙禪。至心想像見佛時，即是不生不滅法。金口誠言，可不信哉。
> \[The Heart of Practice\] Great Master Zhengxin once asked me about the essential point of the mind. I replied: "There is nothing more essential than mindfulness of the Buddha." Master Shouchang said: "The mind that is mindful of the Buddha is precisely the Buddha." For this single present thought-moment is both conditionally arising from no fixed nature, and yet has no fixed nature despite its conditional arising. Because it is conditionally arising without fixed nature, when you are mindful of fame, your mind is entirely filled with fame; when you are mindful of profit, your mind is entirely filled with profit. Even the actions of day and the dreams of night all converge in the focused attention of a single thought. The ascent and descent through the ten realms all emerge from this. Because it conditionally arises without fixed nature, while you are intensely creating and accumulating good and evil, if you suddenly let go, then all phenomena are ungraspable. But if you try to settle in this ungraspable state, you will fall into the deep chasm of inactive emptiness, unable to realize the unobstructed essence of the dharma realm, unable to activate the unobstructed function of the dharma realm. Therefore, you must practice mindfulness of the Buddha and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. This alone is the inconceivable, complete, and sudden teaching of the Great Vehicle. What else is mindfulness of the Buddha? It is simply using this conditionally arising, non-substantial single thought to recollect the Buddha name, which is itself non-substantial and conditionally arising. Since the Buddha name is inherently non-substantial and conditionally arising, even in its conditional arising it remains non-substantial. Thus, when you recite one invocation, one Buddha name appears; when you recite ten, hundred, or thousand invocations, ten, hundred, or thousand Buddha names appear. Yet when you are not reciting, it falls silent. Since the nature of mindfulness is itself conditionally arising and non-substantial, non-substantiality does not obstruct conditional arising. If you do not practice mindfulness of the Buddha, you risk giving rise to various distracting thoughts. Even if no distracting thoughts arise, you risk falling into the nest of non-arising. Therefore, you must use the Buddha name to engender your mindfulness, causing each thought to never be apart from the Buddha name. This is precisely: outside the mind, no Buddha; outside the Buddha, no mind. This mind is making the Buddha; this mind is the Buddha. You may call it "using the Buddha to realize the mind," or "using the mind to realize the Buddha," or even "using the Buddha to realize the Buddha, using the mind to realize the mind." It is the most direct, stable, complete, sudden, and essential teaching — inconceivable and incomparable to any other Dharma door. If you truly have this faith and directly practice mindfulness, then all Buddhas will extend their long, broad tongues to bear witness. As it is said: "If a person single-mindedly recites the name of Amitabha Buddha, this is called the supreme, profound, and wondrous Chan. When, with ultimate thought, you envision seeing the Buddha, this itself is the unborn, undying Dharma." These are the golden words of the Buddha himself — how could we not believe them?
示靈奕壽者，福之本也。福者，慧之基也。念念思警策者，慧之萌，而福與壽之源也。故曰：常想病時，則塵心漸滅。常想死時，則道念自生。夫病死正現前時，有何我相可恃，五欲可貪，有何名可戀，古董之可攜去？不恃我相，我見伏矣。不貪五欲，煩惱降矣。不戀虛名，體面可放下矣。知古董之不可攜去，則不越分以求之。縱先有者，亦可捨之以作福矣。苟能離我我所見執煩惱，則視緇素靈蠢，無一非未來佛。既所見無非未來佛，則凡可以供養恭敬未來佛者，無弗為也。凡可以損惱忤觸未來佛者，無弗止也。如此而福不增，壽不永，蕅益舌當墮落。儻不能一切時念未來佛，則不能一切時積集福慧。福慧不積，雖僥倖活至百年，亦終與草木同腐而已。
> Living long is the foundation of good fortune. Good fortune is the foundation of wisdom. When every thought is mindful and vigilant, that is the sprout of wisdom and the source of both good fortune and long life. Thus it is said: Always think of being sick, and worldly thoughts will gradually fade. Always think of dying, and the aspiration for the Way will naturally arise. When sickness and death are right before you, what self-image can you rely on? What pleasures can you crave? What reputation can you cling to? What antiques can you take with you? When you no longer cling to a self-image, the view of self is subdued. When you no longer crave pleasures, afflictions are calmed. When you no longer cling to empty reputation, you can let go of face. Knowing that antiques cannot be taken with you, you won't seek them beyond your means. Even if you already own such things, you can part with them to cultivate merit. If you can let go of attachment to self, possessions, views, and afflictions, then you will see monastics and laity, the sharp and the dull, as none other than future Buddhas. Since what you see is none other than future Buddhas, whatever can be offered or respected to future Buddhas, you will do it all. Whatever can harm or offend future Buddhas, you will cease it all. If you can do this, yet your merit does not increase or your life does not lengthen, may Ou Yi's tongue fall out. But if you cannot always remember future Buddhas at all times, then you cannot always accumulate merit and wisdom. Without merit and wisdom, even if you live a hundred years by luck, in the end you will just rot like grass and trees.
示講堂大眾并註一切通指八心王，五十一心所相分，皆是心影喻如鏡像，一切見分，皆是心光喻如鏡明，一切自證分，皆是心體喻如鏡質，一切證自證分，皆是心性喻如鏡銅，此四並是依他起性。光影妄，則體性亦妄此妄含兩重義，一、若於光影計有實我實法，則為遍計所執性。既執光影為我法，則并體性亦為我法，是四分皆成遍計也。二、雖不妄計我法，猶見光影二分之異。不了唯是一心，則墮依他起性，不惟光影是依他，并體性亦是依他，所以四分皆為依他性也。體性真，則光影亦真此真不是離依他四分而別有真，秪達得光之與影，實非有二，惟是一心，云何於中有是非？是則不但體性即圓成實，而光影亦圓成實，故四分無非圓成實性也。譬如計繩為蛇，則麻亦成蛇亦如計鏡像為實人，既迷依他之相，必迷圓成之體。了繩即麻，則蛇亦是麻亦如了像與明，總只是鏡。既悟依他非有，自知遍計本空。是故見蛇者，不見繩與麻此喻一切凡夫外道，是謂一遍計，一切遍計十界皆為所遍計境，而非無繩，非不即麻也可見遍計不離依圓，故空觀但空遍計，而依圓元不可空，縱除滅三性，入三無性，乃名一空一切空，亦只是除其定有三性之執，仍但空彼依圓上之遍計執情耳。見繩者，不計蛇，亦不見麻此喻三乘權智，是謂一依他，一切依他十界無非依他起性，而未嘗不即麻，亦未嘗礙彼癡者之計蛇也可見依他，亦不離遍圓，故假觀但立依他，而遍計無可立，圓成不須立，縱成立三性緣起，乃名一假一切假，亦只是約悟名圓成，約迷名遍計，仍但發明三性無非依他起耳。見麻者，了知非蛇，亦非繩此喻圓人實慧，是謂一圓成，一切圓成十界無非圓成實性，而不礙愚者之計實繩實蛇也計實繩，是三乘愚；計實蛇，是凡外愚。可見圓成亦不離遍依，故中觀但顯圓成，而遍依元無可顯，縱圓統三性，乃名一中一切中，亦只顯彼遍依無體，體即圓成，仍但顯彼遍依，統一圓成實性耳。但能如是觀察自心境界一切境界皆惟心現，皆即是心，故名自心境界，不著語言文字聖賢造論，隨意取譬，以曉蒙童，原無死法，且如鏡可譬於依他，四分亦可加一，認有實人，而譬三性，謂鏡即圓成實性，像即依他起性，愚小無知，計有實人，即遍計執性也。又如繩可譬於迷悟三性，亦可除卻妄計為蛇，而譬四分，謂繩二股，可譬見相二分。麻可譬自證分，四微可譬證自證分也。以喻通喻，理最易明，若死死執定，不知變通，是謂依文解義，三世佛冤矣，亦不背語言文字《華嚴》偈云「文隨於義義隨文。」古人云：「離經一字，即同魔說。」，則若宗若教，一以貫之矣。又復應知，眾生起過，只由見相二分，決不由自證及證自證分。以內二分，終日在妄，終日恒真，且眾生日用不知，無由起過，故相宗明其皆是現量，皆是挾帶。只因舉體成用，用既依他，體必同成依他，故四分皆屬依他，不許單立見相為依他性，以用外別無體故。若了知全用即體，則體既圓成，用亦當下圓成，故四分皆即圓成，不許單立內之二分為圓成實，以體外別無用故。今人不達，若執四分皆是依他，於四分之外，別立圓成實性，而云真如與一切法，不一不異。是猶捨彼已成繩之麻，而別求未成繩之麻，與繩相對，乃云不一不異也。但不一耳，豈真不異也哉。嗚呼！毫釐有差，天地懸隔，不變隨緣，隨緣不變之旨，幾為蝕書蠹魚之見所亂，吾安能已於辯也。
> A talk given to the assembly in the lecture hall, with annotations. All \*appearances\* — these are merely reflections of the mind. All \*perceiving functions\* — these are merely the light of the mind. All \*self-verification\* — this is the essence of the mind itself. All \*verification of self-verification\* — this is the fundamental nature of the mind. These four aspects all belong to the \*\*nature of dependent origination\*\*. If the reflections and light are delusory, then the essence and nature are also delusory. If the essence and nature are true, then the reflections and light are also true. Consider this: If someone mistakes a rope for a snake, then even the hemp (from which the rope is made) becomes a snake in their mind. If someone realizes the rope is just hemp, then even the imagined snake is recognized as hemp. Thus, one who sees a snake does not see the rope or the hemp. This is called \*\*one instance of conceptual illusion leading to all-pervasive illusion\*\*. Yet this doesn’t mean there is no rope, nor does it deny that the rope is fundamentally hemp. One who sees a rope does not mistake it for a snake, nor does they directly see the hemp. This is called \*\*one instance of dependent origination leading to all-pervasive dependent origination\*\*. Yet the rope is never separate from the hemp, nor does it prevent the ignorant from mistaking it for a snake. One who sees the hemp recognizes that neither snake nor rope truly exists in essence. This is called \*\*one instance of perfect reality leading to all-pervasive perfect reality\*\*. Yet this doesn’t hinder the foolish from clinging to imaginary ropes and snakes as real. If you can observe the inner realm of mind in this way — without being attached to words and concepts, yet without abandoning them either — then both teaching and direct realization become one unified path. Furthermore, you should know that sentient beings create faults only through \*appearances\* and \*perception\*, never through self-verification or verification of self-verification. These inner two faculties, though ever present in delusion, are also inherently true at all times. Since beings do not recognize them in daily life, they cannot give rise to faults. Therefore, the Consciousness-Only school clarifies that these inner faculties are always \*direct perception\*. It is only because the whole essence manifests as functions — and since functions rely on conditions, the essence must also do so — that all four aspects belong to dependent origination. One is not allowed to single out appearances and perception as dependent nature alone, for there is no essence separate from its functions. If you realize that the entire function \*is\* the essence, then the essence, being perfectly real, makes the function also perfectly real in that very moment. Thus, all four aspects \*are\* perfect reality itself. One is not allowed to single out the inner two aspects as perfect reality alone, for there is no function separate from its essence. People today fail to understand this. If they insist that all four aspects are merely dependent nature, and then posit a perfect reality outside them, claiming “suchness is neither identical nor different from all phenomena,” this is like taking the hemp that has already become a rope, then separately seeking another hemp that has \*not\* become a rope, setting them in opposition, and declaring they are “neither one nor different.” They might be \*not one\* — but how could they truly be \*not different\*? Alas! The slightest deviation creates a gap as vast as heaven and earth. The principle of “unchanging yet adapting, adapting yet unchanging” is nearly corrupted by the bookworm’s narrow view. How can I remain silent about this?
## 靈峰蕅益大師宗論卷第二之四終
> Volume 2, Part 4 of the Collected Writings of Master Ouyi of LingfengEnd
## 靈峰蕅益大師宗論卷第二之五
> Essential Teachings of Master Ouyi of Lingfeng, Volume 2, Part 5